Do bank ATMs need a panic button?

Monday

Aug 5, 2013 at 6:00 AMAug 5, 2013 at 7:03 PM

Many questions surround the killing of Amy Lord, a young woman killed last month after being forced to take money out of several ATMs in Boston. Authorities wonder why she didn't run, what her killer did or said to her to keep her going to ATMs, and how it happened.

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Standing outside an ATM at Commerce Bank on Park Avenue in Worcester Sunday, Mary Smith said she believes some type of alarm or phone should be in place in case of an emergency like the one that befell slaying victim Amy Lord of Boston.

"I believe there should," said Ms. Smith, 48, of Worcester. "I come over here at night and it is very scary. They should at least have an emergency button in there to call for help."

Many questions surround the killing of Ms. Lord, a young woman killed last month after being forced to take money out of several ATMs in Boston. Authorities wonder why she didn't run, what her killer did or said to her to keep her going to ATMs, and how it happened.

In light of the 24-year-old's death, another question surfaced: Would a panic button or emergency phone at any of the bank ATMs have saved her life?

The idea of having some type of emergency phone or panic button at bank ATMs was brought up back in 1999 by a state senator from Milton who has filed the legislation for safer ATMs every session he has been in office.

State Sen. Brian A. Joyce filed the bill again in January. The bill requests several safety measures, such as adequate lighting at ATMs and security cameras, which are in place at some. Tucked within the bill is language mandating emergency phones at bank ATMs. The phone calls would go directly to 911.

The added measures could avert another tragedy, said the senator, who called Ms. Lord's death on July 23 a horrific situation.

"Who's to say whether or not this unspeakable tragedy could have been avoided if there was a simple panic button or phone available at one of these five ATMs?" Mr. Joyce said.

The bill has been stalled for years and received push-back from banks.

"My sense is it is cost," he said. "The other objection I have heard is there could be false alarms."

That is certainly true. Fire departments respond to calls for a fire, only to find nothing, but they still respond, the senator points out.

While the legislation is somewhat dated, Mr. Joyce said it is time to have discussions about the bill and allow for security and public safety experts to weigh in.

A. Wayne Sampson, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and former Shrewsbury police chief, said it is difficult to understand why Ms. Lord did not run. He believes a phone or panic button might have helped.

"It certainly makes sense and we would support that concept. We would certainly support some type of an alarm on an ATM," Mr. Sampson said. "Clearly if there was a panic button or an alert button there, maybe it would have helped."

Many people want to boil the issue down to cost, but that is not the case, said Bruce E. Spitzer, director of communications for the Massachusetts Bankers Association. There are 180 banks in the state and this has to make sense for the majority of them, he said.

"We need to know that this makes sense as well for law enforcement," he said. "We want to engage in a dialogue about this and have been for 20 years. We want to talk about it to see if there are new technologies to make it feasible."

In a brief statement on the issue, Bay State Savings Bank said, "The bank is taking it under consideration but waiting for more research."

At some ATMs, Ms. Smith said she sees other people walk into the enclosed area while she is inside. It makes her nervous, she said, and highlights the need for a safety measure.

"People come in right there with you and that's very dangerous. It's just not safe at all," she said.

Nearby, at another ATM, Elizabeth Gyasi of Worcester was surprised no emergency button was on a drive-up ATM.

"I think I need something like that to call 911," she said.

John P. LaHair, spokesman for Digital Federal Credit Union, said safety of patrons is of the utmost importance. The company does not have any type of panic button, but there are some safety measures in place, such as cameras. Ms. Lord's death is an unfortunate case, he said.

The company also has safeguards such as monitoring account activity.

"We're committed to being just as proactive as we have been as to what is in place and what could be in place," Mr. LaHair said. "We're constantly looking at everything we can do."

A panic button or emergency phone might put a person in further danger, said Mr. Spitzer from the bankers association. He also wondered if police could respond on time or what would happen if they respond with guns drawn.

The legislation that would require the emergency measures at banks doesn't include convenience stores or other places with ATMs, he noted. Those locations do not always have cameras focusing on the ATMs or clerks nearby.

Mr. Joyce called that response "idiotic." Requiring the panic buttons or emergency phones at all types of cash machines could be added to the bill, he said.

There is a tendency to push some type of criminal control legislation after certain crimes, but many turn out to be ineffective, said William J. McCarthy, criminal justice professor at Quinsigamond Community College.

"A lot of times you can't legislate solutions to the problems," he said. There hasn't been enough research on panic buttons or emergency phones in the United States, the professor said.

More needs to be known about Ms. Lord's killing, he said. He wondered if the killer threatened her or her family, causing her not to run or seek help. He doesn't believe a panic button would act as a deterrent for criminals.

While the normal reaction for people is to seek a way to prevent or deter a crime, more information is needed before taking legislative action, Mr. McCarthy said.

"You have to look to see if there is a trend or pattern then see is there is a way to deter," he said.